The Sawyer Micro Squeeze is a 2 oz / 57 g hollow-fiber membrane water filter that removes bacteria and protozoa from water. It's a common choice of water treatment for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail and is worth considering for shorter backpacking trips as well
BearVault BV450 Bear Resistant Food Canister Review
The BearVault BV450 is a polycarbonate (plastic), 7.2-liter, bear-resistant food canister (i.e. a bear canister or bear can) weighing 33 oz / 936 kg. It's approved for use to ward off both black bears and grizzly bears, and it is approved for use (mostly) everywhere you are required to have a bear
BearVault BV500 Bear Resistant Food Canister Review
The BearVault BV500 is a polycarbonate (plastic), 11.5-liter, bear-resistant food canister (i.e. a bear canister or bear can) weighing 2 lbs 9 oz / 1.162 kg. It's approved for use to ward off both black bears and grizzly bears, and it is approved for use everywhere you are required to have a bear
Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator Low Hiking Shoes Review
The Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator is a ventilated hiking shoe made with leather, mesh, and a Vibram sole. They're not quite the trail runners that you find many long-distance hikers wearing, but they're also not quite boots. As I said, they're hiking shoes. A pair weighs in at 31 oz / 879 g and will
Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter Review
The Sawyer Squeeze is a 3 oz / 85 g hollow-fiber membrane water filter that removes bacteria and protozoa from water. It's become the default water treatment system for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail and is definitely worth being considered for your backpacking
Why You (Probably) Don’t Need an Umbrella on the PCT
Should you bring an umbrella on your Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike? A question many of you have probably asked yourselves (and that others of you have been asking me). The gear you bring on a thru-hike is something hikers love to research, stress over, and talk about, so it's worth examining whether
The Pacific Crest Trail Survey: Seven Years of Data in Review
I've been saying I'll do it for years, and now that we are all locked up thanks to COVID-19, I've finally gotten around to it - a comparison of (what is now) seven years worth of Pacific Crest Trail hiker data. If you're new to the Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey, it's something I began in 2013
The Pacific Crest Trail Gear Guide: Class of 2019 Survey
In the second chapter of the Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey, we take a deep dive into Pacific Crest Trail hikers' gear. PCT gear lists can vary wildly between hikers and (spoiler alert) it's impossible to find a perfect PCT gear list. That said, we can try. I've organized this post in
The Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2019)
Welcome to the results of the 2019 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey! The PCT Survey is now in its seventh year and I would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to participate. You're all champions of life. And thank you, dear reader, for being patient while waiting